HC rejects plea to quash case for protesting before Stalin's house

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed the petitions filed by several people associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for striking out a case booked against them for staging a protest near Chief Minister M K Stalin's house.

The accused protested in February 2022 seeking justice for the death of a Thanjavur-based schoolgirl.

Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan passed the orders after hearing the arguments of the counsel representing the 31 ABVP members. The judge observed that the court could not entertain such protests before places of high security. The petitioners claimed that they did not protest with any wilful intention and the incident was merely to draw the attention of the Chief Minister.

They further said since ABVP is a student organisation they protested in a way seeking justice for their fellow girl student who allegedly died in forced conversion - row. The accused claimed that they did not possess any armed materials and that they just raised slogans.

However, the prosecution informed the court that the petitioners damaged barricades, and police vehicles and tried to picket the house which is also the camp office of the Chief Minister. They further said that the petitioners had torn the shirts of policemen who were involved in the security works.

On February 24, 2022, about 35 ABVP members staged a protest in a way marching forward toward the house of the Chief Minister. Therefore, they were booked by the Teynampet police on the complaint of a police inspector named Rajeshwari.